Critical Commentary on Orientalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Commentary on Orientalism - Essay Example According to Ghazoul (2004) orientalism can also be said to be descriptive of the dissemination of matters concerning geopolitical awareness into scholarly, aesthetic, sociological, economic, and historical texts. Edward Said introduced different meanings into the words ‘occident’ and ‘orient’. From his discourse, it would seem that the term ‘Orient’ basically evolved into being a negative construal of Eastern cultures by the Western culture. Edward Said was deeply interested in the scholarly study of African, Middle Eastern, and Asian cultures and history. He emphasised that his understanding of the concept of orientalism was not merely representative of modern intellectual as well as social and political cultures in Middle Eastern nations (Orrells 2012). Orientalism, to a large extent, deals in studies into the Eastern cultures between the 19th and 20th centuries. As an area of study, it remains controversial because it has to ties to the archaic beliefs that characterised colonialist or imperialist regimes. According to academic scholars like Mellor (2004) the whole concept of the ‘Orient’ is tied with how the West defines itself. In defining aspects of the concept of orientalism, Said tried to point out that one of the major factors that defined this issue was the reality of the divergence of power between colonisers and the colonised tribes more in the past. According to Irwin (2006) there are many Weste rn ideological preconceptions that are hidden within the concepts of orientalism.

Frost resistance of concrete containing brick aggregate Dissertation

Frost resistance of concrete containing brick aggregate - Dissertation Example This amazing ability also allowed him to predict, characterize and exploit the chemical and physical qualities of minerals, metals and other elements found in nature. It is this specific knowledge that makes it possible to develop new applications in the industries such as construction, shipbuilding, manufacturing, food production, etc. Early structures built by early civilizations of Egypt, China, India and other nations are still in existence today, although most of them are in ruins already. Man will always build new structures as habitat and places to work in, sometimes building skyscrapers to maximize the use of limited land. However, a growing realization that Earth's resources are not infinite has lead to the Green Movement in the construction industry these days. A big component of today's modern structures is concrete which makes up more than 60% of the total volume in construction materials. This paper discusses the exciting possibilities of using concrete with brick aggreg ates in them to improve their frost resistance and make them long-lasting. This paper examines the use of brick aggregates instead of the other usual aggregates in cement. Some studies showed brick aggregates concrete to have better qualities (Singh 27). I. Aim of the Project It is the aspiration of every architect and engineer to build structures which can last for long periods of time. The idea is to build for posterity if possible and this can be done with the right types of construction materials. Concrete has always been a favourite material due to its availability, strength and ease of use. The word concrete comes from the Latin concretus which means compact or condensed; this makes concrete desirable as a material of choice. In concrete, builders have found the ideal material to construct grand buildings of all shapes and sizes. Concrete is a composite construction material derived by mixing cement with fly ash, slags, aggregates (made up of gravel, crushed rocks, limestone, granite and a little bit of sand) water and several chemical admixtures. Concrete solidifies into place after mixing it with water in a process known as hydration. The water reacts chemically with the cement to form and bond all its other components together into a hard rock-like material. Concrete is the most widely-used man-made construction material in the world today. A lot of factors determine whether the concrete will stand the test of time. Moreover, engineering structural designs need to take into consideration the actual load weights imposed on the concrete. A concrete structure is exposed to various elements of nature such as wind, rain, earthquakes, fires, moisture and snow, to name just a few. In other words, the durability of a structure is to a large extent determined by its exposure to the elements. An important consideration that allows a concrete mixture to withstand the extreme elements of nature is the design and composition of the aggregates mixture forming the c oncrete. It is in this regard that I am examining how brick aggregates can improve the frost resistance of the concrete. A re-examination of its desired frost-resistant qualities is vital because it will improve concrete structures by making them more durable. It will help in minimising use of scarce construction materials by reducing a need to build new structures to replace old ones. The problem of